Vietnam veteran Charles Kettles will be awarded the Medal of Honor next month for his heroic actions as a helicopter pilot nearly 50 years ago. Bell Helicopter built 10,005 Hueys from 1957 to 1975. After you see that, what do you say? According to research by The Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association there were about 12,000 helicopters that served in the Vietnam War (specific tail numbers for 11,827 from all services), out of which 5,086 were destroyed. By Pierre Kosmidis. Many of these brave men went from “High School to Flight School”. Before this project was initiated very li˜le was known about the in-country practice of … When the Army decided to use helicopters as the “Eyes”, “Protection” and “Horses” of the 1 st Cavalry Division, men both young and older were chosen to become pilots. One of the most dangerous helicopter assignments was a tiny scout helicopter known as the “Loach.” Officially designated the OH-6 Cayuse, these things were made of thin plexiglass and metal but were expected to fly low over the jungles and grass, looking for enemy forces hiding in the foliage. He was assigned to the 162nd Assault Helicopter Company, 13th Combat Aviation Battalion, 1st Aviation Brigade in Can Tho. helicopter crews during those nights and days of Vietnam ˆying between 1962-1973. Helicopters flown during the Vietnam War were not heavily armored. He flew 850 combat hours in C-model gunships in the Mekong Delta from November 1970 to November 1971. Posted on February 16, 2012. The Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) is a non-profit veterans organization filed under Section 501(c)(19) of the Internal Revenue Service. Prior to 1957, there were three XH-40 prototypes and six YH-40 test helicopters manufactured. Caron, a West Point graduate, was an Army pilot in Vietnam who, while the war was still going on, became part of Air America — a supposedly private air transport company that, in … They took a lot of casualties but they always seemed to be there … As an aircraft commander flying slicks with the 121st Assault Helicopter Company, I got assigned to support different units. The grenade killed the crew chief and gunner, and wounded both pilots. Helicopter pilots in Vietnam were among the hardiest of the whole bunch of us. They were always going against the odds of survival when they came to our aid under fire. JOHN C. BRUNGER, Ph.D. on OH-6A “Cayuse” Helicopter s/n 67-16304 George B Smith on Pancho’s Huey ‘961 – Vietnam Huey Helicopter Taking Off, Flying, Landing UH-1 Julia Siderakis on Fred Young 4,095 pilots and crew members were killed in action in Vietnam. Ford recently wrote a book about his wartime experiences behind the stick of a Huey called Black Cat 2-1: The True Story of a Vietnam Helicopter Pilot and His Crew. In late ’67, what turned out to be my most memorable day in Vietnam … Castagneto flew Hueys on combat assault missions as an Army pilot in Vietnam from 1970-71. We who benefitted from their courage and dedication to duty really do owe a sacred debt to those brave men. The Vietnam Army Helicopter Pilot . 11.
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